I've been thinking quite a bit recently on the subject of online forums; namely, why do they seem to inevitably deteriorate into a desperate, trolling flame-fest? More to the point, how can this be prevented? What can be learned from other forms of group communication, such as scientific journals?

The author makes a point that I hadn't really thought much about; namely, that observing the mayhem is itself entertaining to a large number of people, which in turn drives site owners to, at the very least unconsciously, permit nearly uncontrolled ass-hattery, in exchange for eyeballs and advertising revenue.

JoS seems to have maintained a decent signal-to-noise ratio; let's hope that Hacker News manages to do so as well.